is a 2008 Japanese film written and directed by

Kōki Mitani is a Japanese playwright, screenwriter, actor and film director and was previously married to Japanese actress Satomi Kobayashi. He was named after ''Taihō Kōki'', the youngest sumo wrestler to become yokozuna. He studied dramatics at Nihon ...

. According to photography experts, "the golden hour, sometimes called the 'magic hour', is roughly the first hour of light after sunrise, and the last hour of light before sunset, although the exact duration varies between seasons. During these times the sun is low in the sky, producing a soft, diffused light which is much more flattering than the harsh midday sun." In photography and cinematography, the magic hour is only a moment and the most beautiful time of the day, when afterglow of a sunset lights up around. By extension in this film, it means "the most glittering years of everyone's life". A Chinese remake, ''

Too Cool to Kill ''Too Cool to Kill'' is a 2022 Chinese action comedy film, based on the 2008 Japanese film '' The Magic Hour''. It stars Wei Xiang as an amateur actor who is invited to play a leading role in a film and ends up drawn into a dangerous situation. It ...

'', was released in 2022.

Overview

* This film marks film director

Kon Ichikawa was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His work displays a vast range in genre and style, from the anti-war films '' The Burmese Harp'' (1956) and '' Fires on the Plain'' (1959), to the documentary ''Tokyo Olympiad'' (1965), which won t ...

's last appearance and was dedicated in his memory. (This message can be seen in the end of this film.) In this film, movie director played by Kon Ichikawa is shooting ''Kuroi Hyaku-ichi-nin no Onna'', a parody of '' Kuroi Ju-nin no Onna''. (discussed later) *

Shingo Katori is a Japanese actor, singer, television host, radio personality. He was the youngest member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy band in Asia. After the group's disbandment on 31 December 2016, Katori has been pursuing his solo career. He left ...

who played in ''

The Uchōten Hotel (also known as ''Suite Dreams'', ''Wow-Choten Hotel'' or ''Suite Hotel'') is a 2006 Japanese comedy film, written and directed by director Kōki Mitani. The film is set in a five star Tokyo hotel on New Year's Eve, and follows the misadventures ...

'' makes a cameo appearance as the same role in this film. * There are three short short films within a film. *** Kuroi Hyaku-ichi-nin no Onna **** A potential sequel parody of Kon Ichikawa's work ''Kuroi Ju-nin no Onna'' (cast:

Kiichi Nakai is a Japanese actor. His name was given by Yasujirō Ozu. His father, Keiji Sada, also a movie actor, died when Nakai was only two years old. Nakai started his acting career while he was still in university and was awarded the Rookie of the Ye ...

Yūki Amami is a Japanese actress. Career Amami joined the Takarazuka Revue in 1987 and retired from the stage company in 1995. Amami was the youngest actress in the company's history to be cast in a top male role. As an , she belonged to the ''Moon Trou ...

and hundred women, AD Koji Yamamoto) *** Ankokugai no Yojinbo (cast:

Shōsuke Tanihara is a Japanese actor probably best known outside Japan for his portrayal of Riki Fudoh in '' Fudoh: The New Generation''. Tanihara hosts ''Tokyo Twenty-Four Living Supported by FLET’S Hikari'', a podcast produced by TOKYO FM. The podcast began ...

Kyōka Suzuki is a Japanese actress. Life and career Suzuki appeared in Shinji Aoyama's '' Mike Yokohama: A Forest with No Name'' and Yōichi Sai's ''Blood and Bones''. She won the Best Actress award at the 1998 Yokohama Film Festival for her role in ''Wel ...

, Yasuhumi Terawaki,

Keisuke Horibe Keisuke (written: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese general *, Japanese mixed martial artist *, Japanese footballer * ...

) *** Jitsuroku Muho-chitai (cast:

Toshiaki Karasawa (real name Kiyoshi Karasawa (唐澤潔 ''Karasawa Kiyoshi'')) is a Japanese theatre and film actor. He made his theatrical debut in the play ''Boy's Revue Stay Gold'' (ボーイズレビュー・ステイゴールド ''Bōizu Rebyū Sutei Gōrud ...

) * With regards to its cinematic impact on Japanese and Asian cinema, The Magic Hour was nominated for the 2009 Japanese Academy Awards in eight categories (best actor, best art direction, best director, best editing, best film, best film score, best screenplay, best sound) and for the 2009 Asian Film Awards in three categories (best actress, best production designer, best screenwriter).

Plot summary

When a low-level gangster (

Satoshi Tsumabuki is a Japanese actor. His breakthrough film was ''Waterboys'' for which he was nominated for the 'Best Actor' award at the Japanese Academy Awards, and won the 'Newcomer of the Year' prize. He is also the bassist and lead singer of the Japanese ...

) is caught having an affair with his boss's wife (

Eri Fukatsu is a Japanese actress. She won the award for best actress at the 18th Yokohama Film Festival for '' Haru'' and the best actress award at the 2010 Montreal World Film Festival for her performance in ''Villain''. She also received acclaim for her r ...

), he pleads for his life by promising his boss (

Toshiyuki Nishida is a Japanese actor. He has won two Japanese Academy Awards for best actor, for ''The Silk Road'' (1988) and ''Tsuribaka Nisshi 6'' (1993). He has also won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actor for '' Get Up!'' and '' Tsuribaka Nisshi 14'' (2003) ...

) that he will recruit a famous

hitman Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...

. When it quickly becomes apparent that he is never going to find the wanted hitman, he hires an actor ( Kōichi Satō) to fill the role. For much of the movie, the actor playing the hitman believes that he has been hired to play a part in a seemingly arcane gangster movie, and interacts with the other gangsters as though they are also hired actors. At times, this puts his employer (

) in a precarious position.

Box office

The film grossed () in Japan. It also grossed $300,475 in other Asian territories, for a total of grossed in Asia.

Cast

* Kōichi Satō as Taiki Murata *

as Noboru Bingo *

as Kosuke Teshio *

Haruka Ayase is a Japanese actress, model and singer who started her career as a gravure idol in 2000. She has since become a leading actress in television and film. Life and career Early life and education Haruka Ayase was born as Aya Tademaru on March ...

as Natsuko Shikama *

as Mari Takachiho

References

External links

* * http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/1728/53/ * http://twitchfilm.net/site/view/koki-mitani-returns-with-the-magic-hour/ * https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1077089/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Magic Hour, The Films directed by Kōki Mitani Japanese comedy films Films with screenplays by Kôki Mitani 2000s Japanese films Films produced by Kazutoshi Wadakura